Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Though the classic image of Bolivia seems forever tied to parched badlands, about
a third of the country lies within the vast and often impenetrable wilderness of the
Amazon basin, the same mind-bending expanse of swamp, savannah and tropical rain-
forest that first set
Colonel Fawcett
on his fatal quest to find El Dorado. Though defor-
estation has accelerated to a worrying degree in recent decades, it remains one of the
most biodiverse regions in the world, with large areas virtually unexplored. Here, jag-
uars, tapirs and giant anteaters roam beneath the towering forest canopy; monstrous
anacondas slither through the swamps; and the skies are filled by a kaleidoscopic vari-
ety of birds.
Often known as the
Beni
, after one of the rivers that are its dominant geographical feature,
the Bolivian Amazon lies more than a thousand kilometres from the mighty Río Amazon as
itself and contrary to what you might expect, not all of the region is covered by rainforest.
Though the last foothills of the Andes are fringed with dense and humid
premontane forest
,
the great watery plains that open up beyond are partially covered by a seemingly endless
sea of savannah, dotted with islands of forest. Known as the
Llanos de Moxos
, these plains
are flooded each year when the mighty rivers that meander slowly across them - the Beni,
Mamoré, Guaporé and their tributaries - are swollen by innumerable Andean streams. Un-
surprisingly, then, this entire region (similar in size to the whole of Great Britain) remains
sparsely populated, apart from the great herds of semi-wild cattle that were first introduced
by the Jesuit missionaries in the sixteenth century.
Sweltering quietly on the eastern edge of this area is
Trinidad
, the capital of the Beni and a
bustling frontier outpost with few obvious attractions; for the adventurous, however, it's the
starting point for slow boat journeys down the Río Mamoré to the Brazilian border. Of far
more interest to most travellers is the ecotourist epicentre of
Rurrenabaque
, on the banks of
the Río Beni. Given its proximity to the stunningly pristine forests of
Parque Nacional Ma-
didi
, together with its commitment to sustainable. community-focused tourism, it's an obvi-
ous destination for anyone wanting to experience the Amazon's flora, fauna and indigenous
peoples up close.
Further north, around the towns of Riberalta and Cobija towards the Brazilian border, the
savannah gradually gives way to the high-canopied
Amazonian rainforest
(known as
selva)
more characteristic of the Amazon region as a whole, where logging and the collection of
wild rubber and Brazil nuts are the only industries of any size. Roads in the whole region are
poor in the best of conditions and in the rainy season between November and April are often
completely impassable.
